Most firms want employees to offer suggestions for improvement. To accomplish that, most use one of...

 

Transcribed Image Text:

Most firms want employees to offer suggestions for improvement. To accomplish that, most use one of the following two methods: a suggestion box or questionnaires given out to employees. The beauty of such a system is its ease of use and the fact that it is relatively inexpensive. The disadvantage of suggestion boxes and surveys is that many employees refuse to take the time to participate. And it can often seem as though managers aren't reading the comments anyway. Eric Reed is a salesperson for 123 Flash Chat. Flash Chat gives employees an anonymous, time-friendly way to chat with each other and managers, using an online discussion group format. The software program has many features that would be of benefit to firms, including ease of use, ease of setup and customization, password protection, complete firewall protection, no extra plug-in software needed, fully featured chat functions, moderator control features, and multilingual support. Eric is ready to sell this program to businesses and organizations in Spokane, Washington. But first he needs prospects. He started working for Flash Chat this week, and the program hasn't been sold in this marketplace before. 1. How is personal selling different from other forms of marketing communications like advertising, WOM and publicity? 2. What communication method(s) should the company use? Identify the importance of personal selling for Flash Chat by justifying your response 3. Explain the importance of creativity for the salesperson (Eric). Justify your response 4. Should the company use inside salespeople or field sales representatives? Justify your response Most firms want employees to offer suggestions for improvement. To accomplish that, most use one of the following two methods: a suggestion box or questionnaires given out to employees. The beauty of such a system is its ease of use and the fact that it is relatively inexpensive. The disadvantage of suggestion boxes and surveys is that many employees refuse to take the time to participate. And it can often seem as though managers aren't reading the comments anyway. Eric Reed is a salesperson for 123 Flash Chat. Flash Chat gives employees an anonymous, time-friendly way to chat with each other and managers, using an online discussion group format. The software program has many features that would be of benefit to firms, including ease of use, ease of setup and customization, password protection, complete firewall protection, no extra plug-in software needed, fully featured chat functions, moderator control features, and multilingual support. Eric is ready to sell this program to businesses and organizations in Spokane, Washington. But first he needs prospects. He started working for Flash Chat this week, and the program hasn't been sold in this marketplace before. 1. How is personal selling different from other forms of marketing communications like advertising, WOM and publicity? 2. What communication method(s) should the company use? Identify the importance of personal selling for Flash Chat by justifying your response 3. Explain the importance of creativity for the salesperson (Eric). Justify your response 4. Should the company use inside salespeople or field sales representatives? Justify your response

Answer rating: 100% (QA)

1 Difference in Personal Selling from Other Forms of Marketing Communications Personal Selling Involves direct interactive communication between a sal... View the full answer